Second U.S. Case of MERS Virus Confirmed by Officials

Respiratory Illness Has Sickened Hundreds in Middle East

Health officials have identified a second U.S. case of MERS, a development they call unwelcome but not surprising given a recent increase in the number of cases of the disease reported in the Middle East and the fact that many travelers come from and go to the region.

The second patient, like another one identified earlier this month, lives in Saudi Arabia and works in a hospital there that has been treating people with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. MERS is a viral illness first identified in the Middle East in 2012...